Chapter 246 248

Chapter 246 248
DEMYEN

The Yakuza guard drops dead at my feet.

Clara pulls the trigger again, this time at a different guard who lunges at her from the shadows. I shake off the surprise and near-death shock to cover her, yanking her behind me before she gets herself killed trying to protect us both.

A handful of Yakuza appear around corners and beeline toward us, shouting and aiming their weapons. Clara wriggles herself out of my grasp, slips between two shipping containers, and beckons for me to follow her. “Come on!”

I want to. I would follow her anywhere.

But I’ve got shit to deal with.

And there’s a monster that needs to be killed.

“I love you.”

“I—”

I don’t wait for her response; I already know. I rejoin Tolya and Pavel, who have ducked behind another container for cover.

Suddenly, the bullets stop.

The air grows quiet.

And a new voice joins the fray.

“Come on out, boys. Consider this a white flag.”

“Yeah?” I quickly reload a new magazine and check for any shrapnel lodged in the mechanics of my gun. Good to go. “And why should we trust you?”

Raizo Watanabe laughs. “Oh, come on now. Why would I shoot the man I want to talk to? We have such history together, Demyen. Don’t insult me with your pettiness.”

“I think we’re way beyond that,” I call back. There’s no way he’s this calm and fine over me blowing up his operations yet again.

“True. Which is why we need to talk.”

Tolya arches a brow. Pavel looks pensive—he doesn’t trust Watanabe any more than I do.

But neither of them object to it.

I lift a hand above the roof of the small container. Then I plant it on the metal to hoist myself up. It’s a risky move, but if he wants to talk, let’s talk.

Shockingly, he actually does. All guns are drawn back and Raizo’s just standing there, surrounded by his men. His hands casually rest in his pockets and he’s dressed like he’s going to a garden party, not on his merry way to sell dozens of women into a lifetime of grim sexual slavery.

“Come,” he says with a nod of his head toward what must be serving as his office.

I glare at him. “My men?”

He rolls his eyes impatiently and gestures to his own to move away. “Your men will remain exactly where they are if they want to make it out of here alive. Play by my rules, and no one gets hurt.”

I glance at Tolya. He nods. He doesn’t love it, but we’re a little short on good options here.

So I nod and slowly place my gun on the roof of the container. I lift my hands up so everyone can see I’m not reaching for a backup piece, then ease my way around toward Raizo.

“Round up the merchandise,” he orders one of his lieutenants, who nods once and takes a handful of men with him.

My gut sinks. If they find Clara…

No. I have to keep my mind clear. I have to focus.

I have to end this.

Raizo gives me a cocky little smirk and turns to lead me to his office. “I have to admit, I was almost impressed. Would have been more impressed if you’d actually managed to get out of here.”

“Impressed? Or pissed?” I force myself to match his calm tone. I have to stamp down the overwhelming urge to snap his neck where he stands.

“Both.” He smirks again and opens the door for me. No one else is waiting inside from what I can see, so I go in and wait for him to stab me in the back. He closes the door, locks it, and strolls over to his desk. “Best we handle things just between us.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” I pull out a chair and straddle it. The first man to show unease is the one who loses. “Which is why I took the liberty of retrieving my woman.”

Raizo shrugs and settles into his chair. “She’s still on the grounds. Whether you get to keep her depends on whether I let you leave this room alive. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“What do you even want with her? She’s just another woman.” I study his face for any sign that might give away ulterior motives. “She’s no one.”

“Is that what you think of her daughter?”

I go still.

Raizo quirks a brow, but quickly settles back into his maddening calm. “I might as well tell you the truth. My secrets won’t get out from a dead man’s mouth.” He interlaces his hands in front of him. “Her mother and I go way back. Or really, we did—until Greg murdered her.”

The venom in his words when he mentions Clara’s father doesn’t escape my scrutiny. It does, however, surprise me. “And yet you do business with him.”

“Greg was a mad dog kept on a short leash. As long as he kept sending me new merchandise, I held our professional relationship over his head to keep him in line.”

Several things start making sense. “You paid him a premium. So he wouldn’t leave.”

“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Truth be told, he wasn’t even on my radar until that stunt he pulled with Michael Little.”

I must have hit my head on something. That’s the only explanation for the sudden wave of sadness I see wash over Raizo Watanabe’s features.

“Nora kept many secrets from me. It was how we managed to be together, even when she knew I was… involved with things. But after Little’s death and that horrid court case, she couldn’t hide her husband’s abuse anymore. She couldn’t explain away Clara’s injuries.”

I force myself to remain stoic. Straight-faced.

But the thought of Greg Everett being cucked by Raizo Watanabe in his own home does threaten to put a big smile on my face.

“So there you have it.” Raizo sighs and refocuses his sharp stare at me. “I may have forgotten myself amidst heartbroken memories, but Clara means more to me than you realize.”

I can’t hold back the sarcasm from my voice. “Is that why you trapped her in there with Martin?”

That stupid smirk returns. “Did I?”

I’m about to lunge at him when I realize what he’s getting at. Did he trap her in that shipping container with Martin?

Or did he trap Martin in there with her?

He waives a dismissive hand. “In any case, back to business. You, Mr. Zakrevksy, have been doing your damned hardest to ruin mine.”

I suck a breath through my teeth. “I may have been under the impression that you were attacking me first.”

“And two wrongs make a right?”

I rub a hand over my face. “In all honesty, I would have been happy to back off—if it weren’t for the slaves.”

He laughs. The man has the fucking balls to laugh. “It never bothered you before. And after your generous hosting of my last auction at your casino⁠—”

“You’re damn right that it was your last auction.”

Raizo snaps his mouth shut to glare at me. And then, in a dangerously low voice: “What did you just say?”

I sit up and lean forward. “You’re done. It’s over. I don’t give a fuck if you smuggle drugs across the border or go back to lifting imported cars in Reno. Panhandle on the Strip for all I care. But you’re done here. And you’re sure as shit done with this sick fucking human trafficking business.”